Profeti om Babylons ødelæggelse
1Det følgende budskab fra Herren drejer sig om Babylon og det babyloniske folk:
2„Råb det ud til hele verden, så alle kan høre det. Hold det ikke for dig selv, men hejs et signalflag og bekendtgør budskabet overalt. Babylon bliver erobret. Deres store gud Marduk bliver ydmyget, deres ‚herre’50,2 Eller „Bel”, et andet tilnavn for den babyloniske gud, Marduk. Bel betyder „herre”. svigter dem, alle deres afguder står magtesløse. 3Et folk vil tromle ind over landet fra nord og lægge det øde. Både mennesker og dyr flygter, så landet står tomt tilbage.
4Til den tid vil Israels og Judas folk samles og søge tilbage til mig som deres Gud med anger og gråd. 5De vil spørge om vej til Zion, for nu vil de hjem. De vil forny pagten med mig og love aldrig at bryde den igen.
6Mit folk var fortabt som får, der gik vild. Deres hyrder ledte dem bort og lod dem strejfe om i bjergene, så de fór vild og ikke kunne finde vej tilbage til folden. 7Enhver, der mødte dem, gik til angreb på dem. Fjenderne sagde: ‚De har syndet imod Herren, den Gud, som deres forfædre tilbad, for de har ikke holdt sig til ham. Derfor har vi lov at angribe dem.’
8Skynd jer væk fra Babylonien, mit folk. Sæt en ære i at være de første, der kommer af sted. 9Jeg vil nemlig samle en mægtig hær fra mange folkeslag i nord og sende den imod Babylonien for at erobre landet. Det er dygtige krigere, og deres pile rammer plet. 10Babylonien bliver plyndret, indtil angriberne er fuldt belæssede med krigsbytte, siger Herren.
11Hør her, I babyloniere, som plyndrede mit folk. I blev glade og hoppede rundt som kåde kalve eller unge heste på engen. 12Men nu bliver jeres land ydmyget, så det bliver ringere end alle andre lande, en udtørret og øde vildmark. 13Når min vrede har ramt landet, bliver det en øde og forladt ørken. Alle, der går forbi, standser chokeret og ryster på hovedet over den ødelæggelse, der har ramt landet.
14Hør, I folkeslag, gør jer klar til at angribe Babylon. Lad bueskytterne omringe byen. Spar ikke på pilene, for de har syndet imod mig. 15Lad krigsråbet lyde fra alle sider. Se, byen overgiver sig, murene styrter sammen. Nu oplever Babylon min straf. Giv byen den samme behandling, som den har givet andre. 16Dræb alle i Babylonien, der er i færd med at så eller høste. Lad alle de fremmede i landet flygte for den fremstormende hær og vende tilbage til deres hjemlande.”
17Israels folk er som får, der jages af løver. Først angreb assyrerkongen dem og åd sin del, og senere gnavede kong Nebukadnezar kødet af deres knogler.
18Derfor siger Herren, den Almægtige, Israels Gud: „Nu er tiden kommet, hvor jeg vil straffe den babyloniske konge, som jeg straffede assyrerkongen. 19Men jeg vil føre mit folk hjem til deres eget land, så de kan bosætte sig på Karmels og Bashans marker og hvile sig mætte og tilfredse i Efraims og Gileads bjergland. 20Til den tid er der ingen skyld tilbage i Israel eller Juda, for jeg tilgiver den rest, der overlever.
21Mine krigere, ryk ud mod Meratajim50,21 Meratajim var et område i det sydlige Babylonien mellem Eufrat og Tigris. Pekod var et folkeslag øst for Tigris, der var allieret med babylonierne. Symbolikken i navnene er tilsigtet. Meratajim betyder „dobbelt genstridig” og Pekod betyder „straf”. og Pekod. Udryd dem totalt. Gør, som jeg har befalet jer. 22Krigslarmen høres over hele landet, og den voldsomme ødelæggelse er begyndt. 23Den store hammer, der knuste jordens folk, er nu selv knækket og knust. Babylon er blevet en ødemark til skræk og advarsel for alle verdens folkeslag. 24Jeg lagde en fælde for dig, Babylon, og du opdagede det ikke. Men nu sidder du uhjælpelig fast i fælden, for du kæmpede mod mig, Herren.
25Jeg har åbnet mit våbenlager og taget min vredes våben frem. Jeg er Herren, den Almægtige, og det er mig, der står bag Babyloniens ødelæggelse. 26Træng ind i landet fra alle sider, bryd ind i kornlagrene. Gør mure og huse til dynger af grus, skån ingen og intet. 27Hug alle krigsheltene50,27 Ordret: „unge tyre”, et billede på tapre, unge krigere. ned, for nu er tiden kommet, hvor Babylonien får sin straf.”
28De judæere, som undslipper og flygter fra Babylonien, vil fortælle hjemme i Jerusalem, hvordan Herren, deres Gud, tog hævn over dem, der ødelagde hans tempel.
29Herren siger: „Send bud efter bueskytterne og lad dem omringe Babylon, så ingen kan undslippe. Gør imod hende, hvad hun gjorde imod andre, for hun trodsede Israels hellige Gud. 30Hendes unge mænd skal falde i byens gader, alle krigerne bliver dræbt. 31Jeg er Herren, den Almægtige, og jeg kommer imod dig, du stolte folk, for at gøre regnskabet op med dig. 32Du stædige og stolte land, du skal snuble og falde, og ingen rejser dig op, for jeg sætter ild på Babyloniens byer, og ilden tilintetgør alt omkring dem.”
33Hør hvad Herren, den Almægtige, siger: Både Israels og Judas folk er blevet mishandlet. Deres bortførere har holdt dem fanget og nægtet at lade dem rejse hjem. 34Men deres befrier er stærk, hans navn er Herren, den Almægtige. Han vil kæmpe for dem og skabe fred i deres eget land, men Babylons indbyggere kommer til at skælve i rædsel.
35„En mægtig hær er på vej mod Babylon,” siger Herren. „Den hugger alle indbyggerne ned. Fyrster og vismænd falder. 36Spåmændene viser sig at være tåber, og krigerne gribes af rædsel. 37Stridsvognene bliver slået i stykker og hestene dræbt. Lejesoldaterne ryster af skræk som skræmte kvinder. Fjenden vil plyndre alle landets skatte. 38Der bliver tørke i landet, så floder og kanaler tørrer ud. Hvorfor? Fordi landet er fyldt med afgudsbilleder, og folket er stolte af dem. 39Snart bliver Babylon beboet af strudse, sjakaler og andre af ørkenens vilde dyr. Aldrig mere vil der bo mennesker i byen. Den vil ligge øde og forladt for altid. 40Jeg vil udslette Babylon, som jeg udslettede Sodoma og Gomorra og de omliggende landsbyer. De har ligget øde og forladte lige siden.
41Se, en mægtig hær rykker frem fra nord, et stort antal konger fra mange lande kommer imod dig. 42De er bevæbnet til tænderne, de er grusomme og skånselsløse. Når de kommer farende på deres heste, lyder det som larmen fra et oprørt hav. De rykker frem imod dig, Babylon, klar til kamp.
43Babyloniens konge får bud om den angribende hær. Hans arme synker, han gribes af rædsel, han vrider sig i smerte som en kvinde i fødselsveer.
44Som en løve, der springer ud fra Jordanflodens vildnis og jager fårene væk i alle retninger, vil jeg i et nu jage babylonierne væk og udpege en leder, som jeg selv vælger. Hvem kan måle sig med mig? Hvem tør kræve mig til regnskab? Hvilken fyrste kan modsætte sig mine planer? 45Hør da min plan for Babyloniens folk: Selv børnene sender jeg i eksil. Landet bliver lagt øde. 46Hele verden vil skælve ved nyheden om Babyloniens fald. Folkets dødsskrig høres over hele jorden.”
A Message About Babylon
1Here is the message the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. It was about the city of Babylon and the land of Babylon. He said,
2“Announce this message among the nations.
Lift up a banner.
Let the nations hear the message.
Do not keep anything back.
Say, ‘Babylon will be captured.
The god named Bel will be put to shame.
The god named Marduk will be filled with terror.
Babylon’s gods will be put to shame.
The gods its people made will be filled with terror.’
3A nation from the north will attack it.
That nation will destroy Babylon.
No one will live there.
People and animals alike will run away.
4“The days are coming,”
announces the Lord.
“At that time the people of Israel and Judah will gather together.
They will come in tears to me.
I am the Lord their God.
5They will ask how to get to Zion.
Then they will turn their faces toward it.
They will come and join themselves to me.
They will enter into the covenant I make with them.
It will last forever.
It will never be forgotten.
6“My people have been like lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have caused them to wander in the mountains.
They have wandered over mountains and hills.
They have forgotten that I am their true resting place.
7Everyone who found them destroyed them.
Their enemies said, ‘We aren’t guilty.
They sinned against the Lord.
He gave them everything they needed.
He has always been Israel’s hope.’
8“People of Judah, run away from Babylon.
Leave the land of Babylon.
Be like the goats that lead the flock.
9I will stir up great nations
that will join forces against Babylon.
I will bring them from the land of the north.
They will take up their battle positions against Babylon.
They will come from the north and capture it.
Their arrows will be like skilled soldiers.
They will not miss their mark.
10So the riches of Babylon will be taken away.
All those who steal from it will have more than enough,”
announces the Lord.
11“People of Babylon, you have stolen what belongs to me.
That has made you glad and full of joy.
You dance around like a young cow on a threshing floor.
You neigh like stallions.
12Because of that, you will bring great shame on your land.
Your whole nation will be dishonored.
It will become the least important of the nations.
It will become a dry and empty desert.
13Because I am angry with it, no one will live there.
It will be completely deserted.
All those who pass by Babylon will be shocked.
They will make fun of it because of all its wounds.
14“All you who shoot arrows,
take up your battle positions around Babylon.
Shoot at it! Do not spare any arrows!
Its people have sinned against me.
15Shout against them on every side!
They are giving up.
The towers of the city are falling.
Its walls are being pulled down.
The Lord is paying back its people.
So pay them back yourselves.
Do to them what they have done to others.
16Do not leave anyone in Babylon to plant the fields.
Do not leave anyone to harvest the grain.
Let each of them return to their own people.
Let them run away to their own land.
If they don’t, their enemy’s sword will bring them great harm.
17“Israel is like a scattered flock
that lions have chased away.
The first lion that ate them up
was the king of Assyria.
The last one that broke their bones
was Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.”
18The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,
“I punished the king of Assyria.
In the same way, I will punish
the king of Babylon and his land.
19But I will bring Israel back to their own grasslands.
I will feed them on Mount Carmel and in Bashan.
I will satisfy their hunger
on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.
20The days are coming,”
announces the Lord.
“At that time people will search for Israel’s guilt.
But they will not find any.
They will search for Judah’s sins.
But they will not find any.
That is because I will forgive the people I have spared.
21“Enemies of Babylon, attack their land of Merathaim.
Make war against those who live in Pekod.
Chase them and kill them. Destroy them completely,”
announces the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you to do.
22The noise of battle is heard in the land.
It is the noise of a great city being destroyed!
23It has been broken to pieces.
It was the hammer that broke the whole earth.
How empty Babylon is among the nations!
24Babylon, I set a trap for you.
And you were caught before you knew it.
You were found and captured.
That is because you opposed me.
25I have opened up my storeroom.
I have brought out the weapons I use when I am angry.
I am the Lord and King who rules over all.
I have work to do in the land of the Babylonians.
26So come against it from far away.
Open up its storerooms.
Stack everything up like piles of grain.
Completely destroy that country.
Do not leave anyone alive there.
27Kill all Babylon’s strongest warriors.
Let them die in battle.
How terrible it will be for them!
Their time to be judged has come.
Now they will be punished.
28Listen to those who have escaped.
Listen to those who have returned from Babylon.
They are announcing in Zion
how I have paid Babylon back.
I have paid it back for destroying my temple.
29“Send for men armed with bows and arrows.
Send them against Babylon.
Set up camp all around it.
Do not let anyone escape.
Pay it back for what its people have done.
Do to them what they have done to others.
They have dared to disobey me.
I am the Holy One of Israel.
30You can be sure its young men will fall dead in the streets.
All its soldiers will be put to death at that time,”
announces the Lord.
31“Proud Babylonians, I am against you,”
announces the Lord.
The Lord who rules over all says,
“Your day to be judged has come.
It is time for you to be punished.
32You proud people will trip and fall.
No one will help you up.
I will start a fire in your towns.
It will burn up everyone around you.”
33The Lord who rules over all says,
“The people of Israel are being treated badly.
So are the people of Judah.
Those who have captured them are holding them.
They refuse to let them go.
34But I am strong and will save them.
My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
I will stand up for them.
I will bring peace and rest to their land.
But I will bring trouble to those who live in Babylon.
35“A sword is coming against the Babylonians!”
announces the Lord.
“It is coming against those who live in Babylon.
It is coming against their officials and wise men.
36A sword is coming against their prophets.
But they are not really prophets at all!
So they will look foolish.
A sword is coming against their soldiers!
They will be filled with terror.
37A sword is coming against their horses and chariots!
It is coming against all the hired soldiers in their armies.
They will become weak.
A sword is coming against their treasures!
They will be stolen.
38There will not be any rain for their rivers.
So they will dry up.
Those things will happen because their land is full of statues of gods.
Those gods will go crazy with terror.
39“Desert creatures and hyenas will live in Babylon.
And so will owls.
People will never live there again.
It will not be lived in for all time to come.
40I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
I also destroyed the towns that were near them,”
announces the Lord.
“Babylon will be just like them.
No one will live there.
No human beings will stay there.
41“Look! An army is coming from the north.
I am stirring up a great nation and many kings.
They are coming from a land that is very far away.
42Their soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are mean.
They do not show any mercy at all.
They come riding in on their horses.
They sound like the roaring ocean.
They are lined up for battle.
They are coming to attack you, city of Babylon.
43The king of Babylon has heard reports about them.
His hands can’t help him.
He is in great pain.
It is like the pain of a woman having a baby.
44I will be like a lion coming up from the bushes by the Jordan River.
I will hunt in rich grasslands.
I will chase the people of Babylon from their land in an instant.
What nation will I choose to do this?
Which one will I appoint?
Is anyone like me? Who would dare to argue with me?
What leader can stand against me?”
45So listen to what the Lord has planned against Babylon.
Hear what he has planned against the land of the Babylonians.
Their young people will be dragged away.
Their grasslands will be shocked at their fate.
46At the news of Babylon’s capture,
the earth will shake.
The people’s cries will be heard among the nations.
